Questions regarding LLB from UK for an Indian/international student

Hi
I am writing on behalf of my daughter who is an Indian citizen , and is keen to apply for LLB from UK after a couple of years. We would appreciate help on following
- How long is initial Tier 4 student visa granted for after securing LLB offer from a UK university ? Do you get a 3 or 4 or 6 year initial student visa?
- Does the above visa include 1 year LPC/SQE and subsequent 2 year Training contract ?
- If not, what additional visa category does one apply for, for completing the LPC /SQE and when ? How long is the LPC visa granted for ?
- After that, what visa category (is it Tier 2 work permit)? does 2 year Training contract fall under ? If a company fails to sponsor the training contract, how does one fulfil the conditions of TC and its associated visa? Can one apply for Tier 2 TC visa while working pro bono for some organization for 2 years (in case of failure to secure a paid training contract)? Is this legal?
- Please assume that we are able to fund LPC and TC ourselves, in case of non-sponsorship.
- The bigger picture is that my daughter wants to keep the option open, of practicing law in India and UK after the UK experience. If we want to come back to India, the bar council of India stipulates foreign LLB holders to fulfil equivalency in form of finishing 5 years of law study abroad to qualify for Indian bar membership .LLB = only 3 years. Only if you do 1 year LPC and 2 year TC (3+1+2=6 years) is that condition fulfilled. Has any Indian student faced the situation of coming abck to India after 3 year UK LLB (with out LPC and TC) or after 4 years (LLB+LPC but no training contract) ? How did they satisfy bar council requirement and practiced in India ?
- Lastly do UK colleges and big law firms give more value to A levels than Indian boards like CBSE or ICSE ?

Any clarifications will be appreciated
Thanks
Manish

Reply 1

Notoriety

@J-SP is the visa nerd.

Reply 2

manishk13

Thanks @J-SP.
1. Isn't SQE1 likely to be structured around today's LPC as in do the course (like LPC), take SQE1 , then do a 2 year training contract and take SQE2 (which I believe is an additional step ) ? So, for an international student, my guess is that treating SQ1 as a PG study on a tier4 may be easy it's securing a sponsored TC with a tier 2 visa,that looks like a big hurdle ? Did I get it right?
2. Is securing a TC for an outsider completely ruled out or are you saying it's just tougher compared to UK nationals ?
3. Does studying in a higher ranked university( oxbridge, LSE, UCL, Kings) , elevate your chances of TC as international student ?
4. On another note, I am intrigued why these top law schools don't offer LPC course LLB is useless without LPC ?
The
Manish

Reply 3

redsaucenacho06

Hey, I am applying for Universities this year, and I am facing the same problem. I am in the exact same situation as you! Can you please tell me what you chose to do in the end? It would be great help, I'd really appreciate it!